Enduring Love: The Lasting Value of the Cartier Love Bracelet

The Cartier Love Bracelet—that classic all-gold bangle with two side screws that, to quote Kanye West (who wears three at a time), keeps your love locked down—has a timeless appeal that has come to represent everlasting cool among the fashion set.

And it’s not only because it’s hard to take off (each bracelet is fastened on the wearer’s wrist and can only be taken apart using a tiny screwdriver). The simple design complements all kinds of modern jewelry, from hip men’s watches to dainty string friendship bracelets, and looks appropriate on all occasions, worn as easily with piles of diamonds as it is with fresh skin and a Madewell tee. In fact, it’s so popular among a certain sect of stylish New York City women that some hospitals are known to keep a love bracelet screwdriver handy in case it needs to be removed.

The design was originally conceived to symbolize eternal love (there are still some women who were gifted the bracelet when it was introduced in 1970 and have never taken it off), but now it can stand for anything—a completed degree, the birth of a child, or even as a present for yourself. Vogue Special Events Director Sylvana Ward Durrett received one from her father on her golden birthday. “There doesn’t have to be a romantic connotation,” she says, “which I think is empowering.”

It is a fashion investment that lasts, though as Vogue contributor Devon Radziwill (who wears one rose and one yellow-gold in combination) points out, it represents dedication in more ways than one: “Make sure to leave extra time for security at the airport,” she says. “You are almost guaranteed to set the metal detector off!”

The classic love bracelet is available online at cartier.us, starting at $5,575.